Monday, October 10, 2011

Rock Climbing

I went indoor rock climbing for the first time since May yesterday with my friend Jared!

It was so exhilarating and climbing/belaying came back to me just like riding a bike would.

I always meant to go over the summer at indoor rock climbing places like Rockville or Garden State Rocks, but never had the chance or someone to go with...

Anyway, for those of you that don't know, I started indoor rock climbing at the College Ave Gym at Rutgers Spring 2010. My two best friends, Jess and Christine, and I signed up for this $1 trail climb class offered by Rutgers Recreation and I've been loving it since then. Rock climbing is a great outlet for stress, allows you to push your physical boundaries, and is adventurous! Fall 2010-Spring 2011, my friend Christine and I would climb 2-3 times a week (2-3 hours at a time). We even went on a trip to try outdoor rock climbing. It was a lot of fun, but I personally prefer indoor rock climbing.


I would recommend rock climbing to people that are willing to challenge him/her-self, take responsibility in accomplishing something on their own, make friends, or have fun and try something different! It gives you this positive adrenaline rush and you can really see personal improvement in climbing after just a few weeks. Rock climbing is also a great way to get into shape and meet friends! I know I lost a few pounds doing it and have heard from other rock climbers how much weight they're lost and how much muscle they've gained. It's also a great sport to get other people into. People always seem to be interested in it when they find out I climb, and I've brought about 10 friends to the Rutgers Rock Wall to try it. If you want to join me, I plan to go Sundays 5-8pm this semester!

So, how do you get started?
Well, if you're a Rutgers student, you can climb for free at the Rutgers Rock Wall in the College Ave Gym. It's just $1 for show rental. The first time you go, a staff member will belay you for free. If you want to continue to go, it forces you to get belay certified and get a buddy that is belay certified. The belay class at Rutgers is only $15, or you can learn on your own or from another rock gym (you would just need to get tested by Rutgers). I personally took the class, but taught my friend Jared how to belay afterwards and he passed the test! The wall is open 8-11pm Mon-Fri and 5-8pm Sun.
If you're not a Rutgers student, then you can just google indoor rock walls in your area. The price range for climbing should be about $15-20/day, but there's always discounts for students, groups, kids, etc. so be on the lookout for those!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Hello October!

Can't believe it's October 1st already! September went by so fast... And I can only imagine the rest of the year going by even faster.

So, some mini updates/highlights on life:

It was my birthday on Sept 18th; the big "I'm now one year older than 21" and can truly appreciate the name of one of my favorite stores "Forever 21".

I ate at the ever lovely Cheesecake Factory and ordered:

Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo 

Shrimp, Chicken, Andouille Sausage, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions and Garlic Simmered in a Spicy Cajun Style Broth with Cream. Topped with Steamed White Rice



It was a large portion (where you could take some home, add more rice, and make it another meal!)! the chicken and shrimp were fresh and tender and the broth had just the right amount of cajun spice. They also give you free bread and butter at Cheesecake as you wait for your food so if you really wanted to be cheap, you could fill up on bread and take even more of your meal home! Ahahahaha.

I was too full to order dessert, but from experience I would suggest their:

Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake

Moist layers of Red Velvet Cake and our Original Cheesecake covered with our special Cheesecake Factory cream cheese frosting.



It's light, fluffy and creamy!

I would not suggest their White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cake because the texture of the macadamia nuts cooked was just gross.

That was one of the last times I went out to eat dinner since I've been so busy but, I've been eating at lots of other places for fast and convenient food!

I intern and work right near this place Teriyaki Boy. It's Japanese fast food and the two locations I know are both in Princeton (Marketfair Mall and Princeton Forrestal Village). You can get a whole platter of food for $6.25 in less than 5 minutes! I usually get their chicken teriyaki and mix tempura (comes with a side of salad with ginger dressing too); but, a few days ago I was craving sushi and got one of the their special rolls. It was shrimp tempura topped with spicy salmon! OMG. It was delicious! It actually was listed on the menu with spicy tuna on top, but I asked for salmon and they were willing to accommodate.

Then after class I've been eating at the new and improved Livingston Dining Hall! I've had the honor to eat their three times already even though I don't even have a meal plan thanks to Dani, Alex, and Yohan. It's smaller than I thought, but the food and decor inside was amazing! They had sushi, fresh fruit (really sweet strawberries), made-to-order pasta and chinese food, burgers and hot dogs (at "the pub" with touch screens like Wawa to place your order), great soup choices, rotisserie chicken, pizza, and various daily buffet items set up like a Wegmans or Whole foods food court!

Of course I've been eating at P.F. Chang's China Bistro since I've been working there for almost 4 years now... But I will post a deserving blog on them separately one day when I have more time. Just a little info is that they cook 3 meals a day for their employees to eat for free and I have been taking full advantage of it!

And since I've been so busy, my boyfriend and I have been meeting up for breakfast early in the morning! I really like it! It forces me to wake up, be productive, and eat what is commonly known as the most important meal of the day. We ate at Panera Bread this past Friday and got the:
-Ham and Swiss Baked Egg Souffle
-Jalepeno and Cheddar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich (with ham, egg, and vermont white cheddar)
-Sausage, Egg and Cheese on a croissant
They were all good, but the Souffle was my favorite!
I also ordered their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte to try, which I did not like. I don't think my opinion weighs much though since I'm kind of a "only water" drinker, but it was so sweet and had too much spice and not enough pumpkin.

Okay, last one.

Last night, I went out with some of my new MHRM friends after out RUSHRM meeting. We went to this place Evelyn's off of Easton Ave. If was so nice! I couldn't believe the outdoor bar/patio they had behind the restaurant. It definitely was not a place you would think to find there. They had trees with lights, fancy umbrellas, and great lebanese cuisine! I ordered the humus with chicken kebab and baba ganoush.

And what's a blog without some pictures!